NHL Trade Rumors: Boston Bruins Smart to Seek Defensive Help at Deadline

When you are the defending Stanley Cup champions, you have a target on your back and teams will be gunning for you on a nightly basis.

Which is exactly why the Boston Bruins cannot rest on their laurels and need to acquire a blueliner at the deadline to bolster their roster and prepare for another postseason push.

According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun and Jimmy Murphy, Boston is being linked to a number of players, including the Winnipeg Jets’ Johnny Oduya, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jaroslav Spacek and even Sheldon Souray of the Dallas Stars.

Any of these players would help the B’s, especially considering Johnny Boychuck is suffering from concussion-like symptoms and Shawn Thornton isn’t on the ice at practice, either.

However, teams who are hoping to deal with Boston are going to have to accept the fact that they likely won’t be returning any players from their active roster.

GM Peter Chiarelli told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Globe yesterday, ''I've been clear in telling people I've talked to that I don't want to move anyone off our roster.”

But he’s also confident he’s going to get a deal done before the 3:00 p.m. deadline.

"

You're never sure, but...I'd like to be further along in some of these discussions, down to the short strokes, but yes, right now, I think we are getting closer and there are one or two deals we could close.

"

This is welcome news to fans of the B’s, who have been concerned about their roster for some time now.

Closing a deal to add depth and a player who can log significant minutes, especially as one of the top six defenders, is a must before the postseason starts.

There is no better time than now to get the best possible piece to help them repeat as Stanley Cup champs.